An Indian government source told Reuters that India has urged the United States, Japan and Australia to invest in India’s vaccine capacity. The “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue” coalition is trying to counteract China’s growing vaccine diplomacy.
Beijing authorities have pledged to provide at least 463 million doses of homegrown New Crown vaccine to the world through exports and donations, according to data cited by Reuters.
Two senior Indian government officials said a four-nation coalition of the United States, Japan, Australia and India is stepping up efforts to expand global vaccination to counter China’s rising soft power. The two officials also said that as the world’s largest vaccine producer, India believes it is best positioned to lead efforts in this area.
A State Department spokesman, when asked what he thought of this, did not mention India’s request for financial help or speak of China, but said the U.S. was concerned about expanding global vaccination, manufacturing and delivery. The official told Reuters that U.S. Secretary of State Blinken met with the foreign ministers of the quadrilateral coalition on Feb. 18 to discuss cooperation on issues such as the New crown outbreak response and economic recovery, as well as climate change.”
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimichi Motegi told a press conference Friday that the four countries discussed “the need and importance of international cooperation to ensure equal access to vaccines for developing countries” at their February meeting, but no decisions were made.
One of the two Indian sources had direct knowledge of the quadrilateral coalition discussions, and the official said the group had held several meetings on global vaccination.
Another Indian source said the four countries discussed ways to “encourage the development of alternative medical supply chains to reduce dependence on China” during a February videoconference.
The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference recently said that voices questioning China’s efforts to expand its geopolitical influence through vaccine exports were “narrow-minded. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also said that China’s goal in its international cooperation on vaccines is to make vaccines a global public good.
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